Sacred Texts in Oral Contexts: The Living Word and the Scripture (15 min)Ben Witherington, Asbury Theological SeminaryThis paper will investigate the views of sacred texts held by Jews in a largely oral culture, including: 1) the preference for the living voice, and when it comes to God's Word the oral proclamation over the written; 2) the function of the nomena sacra in such a text; 3) the beliefs about how God's Word had inherent power and ability to accomplish what it states; 4) the rhetorical function of a sacred text in a culture that has such a text, in contrast with most Greco-Roman religion which had not such sacred book; 5) the importance of oracular prophecy in sacred texts as the closest thing to the verbatim of the living voice, and 5) what scriptum continuum tells us about the character of ancient texts.

Discussion (55 min)

Break (10 min)

If I Forget Thee: Remembering, and Forgetting, in Scriptural Citations by Writers of the New Testament (15 min)Leonard Greenspoon, Creighton UniversityInterest in Scriptural citations by the writers of the New Testament is a perennial issue that shows no signs of abating. If anything, closer contacts between scholars of the Septuagint and those of the New Testament, among others, have cast new light on this intriguing phenomenon. In this paper, I will explore this issue primarily through the extra-textual phenomenon of citation from memory, using modern examples, which can be clearly documented, as a starting point for further examination of the ancient world.

The Place of Scripture in Paul's TheologyG. K. Beale, Wheaton College (Illinois), Presiding

How Do We Judge What Role Scripture Played in Paul's Theology? (10 min)Matthew Bates, University of Notre DameIn terms of method, Richard Hays' influential intertextual model as set forth in "Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul" focused almost exclusively on Paul's use of the Septuagint. There was nothing wrong with this decision in and of itself. The Septuagint is indeed the most prominent text for Paul regardless of the intertextual model adopted. The problem, however, is that subsequent scholarship has by and large become stuck on the Septuagintal Vorlage as Paul's 'pre-text,' without considering how other texts might inform Paul's use of the scriptures. This is a problem which transcends Pauline studies and is indicative of the whole enterprise devoted to studying how NT authors use the scriptures. A more robust intertextual model (drawing on Kristeva and others) recognizes that a 'text' is not only informed by its 'pre-texts' but also by 'co-texts' and 'post-texts.' The utility of this methodological proposal will be illustrated with several examples showing how paying attention to 'co-texts' and 'post-texts' rather than just the 'pre-text' forces a reassessment of Paul's exegesis.

Discussion (30 min)

Scripture and Other Voices in Paul’s Theology (10 min)Linda Belleville, Bethel CollegeA common approach to analyzing Scripture in Paul’s theology is to identify explicit texts and implicit allusions or “echoes” and to consider their impact on Paul theological thinking. The underlying assumption is that Paul's theological Sitz im Leben was primarily if not exclusively that of the Hebrew Scriptures. This assumption results in a leap-frog hermeneutical approach that overlooks the rich tradition of theological traditions and interpretations in which Paul stands and the impact of these “other voices” on Paul’s theology. This paper will focus on the “other voices” and their contribution to some of Paul’s most distinctive theologizing and re-reading of Scripture.

Discussion (30 min)

Break (10 min)

Approaching Paul's Use of Scripture in Light of Translation Studies (10 min)Roy E. Ciampa, Gordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryThis essay will explore some of the potential of the growing field of Translation Studies for the study of Paul’s use of Scripture, including elements of descriptive translation studies (e.g., polysystem theory), functionalist approaches (Skopostheorie), postcolonial approaches to translation, and the understanding of translation as cultural mediation. Particular approaches will be considered that may broaden the scope of issues that inform our understanding of Paul’s use of Scripture including seeing that usage as part of his role as one of the key translators of the message of early Christianity for the Gentile communities to which he ministered.